Sunday Post: Well Into December

We are well and good into December. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. The sun is shining here, Mouse and her dad are baking cookies, and my computer is acting up, but I am determined to get this post up if it is the last thing I do. 

New to My Shelves: My Lit Box arrived in the mail this week, and what a book box it is! This month's book is Zadie Smith's Swing Time. A copy of The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi was thrown in for good measure, which I am also looking forward to reading. 

What I Am Reading: I wish I could say I had been reading up a storm, but it was another week of little reading--at least of print books. I have been listening to my audiobook.

What I Am Listening To: I am close to finishing Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn. It is not an easy book to listen to. It's heartbreaking.

What I Am Watching: I am all caught up with the shows I follow. I know quite a few are disappointed with The Walking Dead this season, but the last three episodes have helped me settle me back in a bit. 

What's Going On Off the Blog: I thought I was done with my Christmas shopping, but then I remembered the animals. I still need to get a little something for the cats and my mom's dog. I finally mailed out my holiday cards and picked up our mail (since it isn't being delivered to our mailbox right now). Mouse and I wrapped the Christmas presents she bought for our family at the school's holiday shop. She's so proud of her purchases. She wanted me to open the one for me right away, but I suggested we wait until Christmas--now she won't let me peek.

Someone attempted to break into my mailbox (it's a community cluster box) this past week, which means no mail being delivered. Not two nights later, someone ripped a mailbox a block away right out. Mail thievery is definitely at a height this time of year, sad to say. Years ago, when living at my old house, I had a post office box because packages were regularly being stolen from my porch. We haven't had that happen at our current residence, but I've heard from neighbors it is happening. All of this makes me wonder if it might not be better to look into another post office box. Ho hum.

Tomorrow Mouse and I will be attending a Daisy-Brownie tea party, and today we made Nuts & Bolts, as is our family tradition and did a little shopping. I have a Christmas breakfast one day later this week along with the usual work. Let the Holidays begin!

This Week In Reading Mews:

• Bookish Thoughts: The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss
• Where Is Your Bookmark? (& Top Ten New-To-Me-Series Authors Read So Far in 2016)
• Bookish Thoughts: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Tell me about what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? Do you have anything planned for this coming week?

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

What is your best guess that you won't be changing the genres you're currently reading?

My reading tastes are fairly eclectic, and I like to mix genres to avoid burn out on any one genre. My reading tends to circle around fantasy/science fiction/horror, mystery/thrillers, romance, general and literary fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. I like reading books that celebrate diversity, and books set close to home or far away. I have a real soft spot for cross-genre novels. I enjoy both adult and Young Adult novels. I like to read the classics and more contemporary novels. I read the occasional poetry and nonfiction. Nonfiction, in fact, is probably where I get the most picky. I am generally open to trying something new. I like to push myself now and then to read outside my comfort zone.

At certain times, I feel more inclined to read one type of book over another (a light breezy book when I feel overwhelmed, a happily ever after book when I'm feeling particularly sad, an emotional book when I need to release those big feelings, or a thought provoking book when I want to be challenged or inspired, for example). Or it can depend on the setting--am I craving to go back in time, would I rather read something set in the here and now, or maybe I want to be in a completely different time or place, even in the future?  Subject matter makes a difference too.

Occasionally I go through genre or author/series binges until I feel myself needing to move on. The two most obvious signs of this happening include slowed-down reading and wandering eyes (I look forward more to the next book I may read than the one I am reading). I learned the hard way how important it was to listen to the cues--lest I take another decades long sabbatical from a particular genre or author.

What about you? Do you tend to stick to the same types of books? Do you ever branch out to try something new? How do you know when it's time to move on to another genre or type of book?

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Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow. While I will attempt to post my review that same month, I make no promises--it may go up the following month. 

There was little doubt which book would win this one from the start given the time of year it is, and at 66.7% (20 votes), you did not prove me wrong. White Christmas by Rebecca York will be my first Christmas-themed book of the year. Thank you for all who voted! Rebecca Chastain's Curse of the Gargoyles came in at 26.7% (8 votes) and Royal Enchantment by Lia Davis received 6.7% (2 votes).

I am really looking forward to starting White Christmas--hopefully tomorrow (Sunday). It's time I read something light and fun after all my recent serious reads. Thank you again for voting!

White Christmas by Rebecca York 

I hope you all have a great week! Happy Reading!

The Sunday Post is hosted by the wonderful Kimba, the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and gives us all a chance to recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. 

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© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

"I say, if you're running away from your wedding you're going about it quite wrong."  ~ Opening of Night of a Thousand Stars

Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn

Harlequin MIRA, 2014

Fiction (Historical, Romance); 368 pgs

I knew I would enjoy this novel from the very first sentence, and I was not wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Poppy Hammond's world.  Yes, she was a bit presumptuous at times, but what a great character--I love how she took charge of her life. Then there is Sebastian, whom I adored (maybe even had a little crush on).

A little about the book, set in 1920: Penelope "Poppy" Hammond, step daughter to a wealthy industrialist, ditches her stiff groom on their wedding day, enlisting the aid of Curate Sebastian Cantrip. They flee to Poppy's father's country village home in England. It is there that Poppy reflects on her life thus far--how little she's accomplished and how often she's failed to follow through. Deciding to change that, Poppy is determined to return to London to find Sebastian Cantrip and thank him for his help as well as maybe find herself a little adventure.  And adventure she finds in spades! For the mysterious curate is not who he says he is--nor is he where she thought she'd find him. Poppy, along with her lady's maid, Masterman, begin their own investigation into the identity and whereabouts of Sebastian.

Their adventure takes them from the ports of London to Damascus and the deserts beyond.  There is intrigue, treachery, romance, and danger at every turn.  Poppy is quick witted and intelligent. She is ever tenacious.  Her wealthy upbringing showed a few times, her privilege and class being both a hindrance and a help.

I especially enjoyed the references to the political and social turmoil in Damascus and among the Bedouin tribes throughout the novel.  As well as the descriptions of the city itself.  Damascus was very much a character all its own, as was the desert. There was a romantic air about it and a dangerous one.

There is humor throughout the novel, and I found myself laughing as often as I found myself holding my breath in suspense, waiting to see what would happen next. This book wasn't quite what I expected in that I expected more romance and less adventure, but the level of adventure and intrigue was quite high. I liked how the romance progressed through the novel--more of a slow tease and less of an "in your face" type.

While things may fall a little too conveniently together in the end, this did not bring down my enjoyment of the novel in any way. It does make me anxious, however, to read City of Jasmine. When I first volunteered to read Night of a Thousand Stars, I had no idea it was a companion book to another that features some familiar characters. My only quibble with not reading that book first is that I did not get to experience the excitement others did about running into those familiar characters again.  Just the same, Night of a Thousand Stars is perfectly fine as a stand alone, and, I feel, nothing is lost in reading them out of order or even just one or the other.

I look forward to reading more by Deanna Raybourn in the future.  I can see why she's such a well-liked author.

Rating:   (Very Good)

To learn more about Deanna Raybourn, and her books, please visit the author's website.


I hope you will check out what others had to say about Night of a Thousand Stars on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. E-Copy of the book provided by the publisher.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.